SC Career Guidance Model
Standards and Competencies, Grades 3-5 • SC-CGM Home • Career Exploration Home •  EEDA and Personal Pathways Resources for Educators
STANDARDS AND COMPETENCIES
GRADES K THROUGH TWO

STANDARD 1

Students will understand the relationships among personal qualities, education and training, and the world of work.

Competency Indicators, K-2

    1. Identify different kinds of work.
    2. Recognize that men and women can have the same work.
    3. Recognize and identify workers in various work settings.
    4. Identify work and skills of family members.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities Recommended Career Activities Career Resources and Exercises
  • Career Pathways-adult speakers, including parents (C. 1,2,3,4)
  • In-class teacher led career activities designed to identify different kinds of work (C. 1)
  • Occupational Family Tree designed to identify the work and skills of family members (C. 4)
  • PTO Carolina Careers Presentation (C. 1,2,3,4)
  • Introduce diversity and gender equity through class activities (C. 2)
  • Interest assessment activity focusing on career awareness (C. 1,2,3,4)
  • Curriculum-based career awareness activities tied to SCANS Skills and Skills That Work (C. 1,2,3,4)
  • Business Partners (C. 1,2,3)

Supporting Research and Literature

Hansen (1972) Exploration of self, particularly in educational and vocational pursuits, enhances vocational maturity

Miller (1977) Stresses the importance of addressing gender-role stereotyping in careers

Young (1994) Positive effect of parental involvement on career development

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Career Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 2

Students will demonstrate decision-making, goal-setting, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Competency Indicators, K-2

    1. Recognize the importance of making decision.
    2. Recognize the importance of setting goals.
    3. Describe how choices are made.
    4. Make simple choices
    5. Understand consequences of decisions.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities
Recommended Career Activities
Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Provide and implement a decision-making model (C. 1,3,4,5)
  • Introduce and define the skills of goal-setting (C. 2)
  • Describe and model how choices are made (C. 3,4)
  • Explore the consequences of decisions (C. 5)
  • Introduce a decision-making model (C. 1, 3,3,5)
  • Provide opportunities to employ goal-setting skills (C. 2)
  • Provide experiences that allow students to make choices (C. 4)
  • Provide experiences that allow students to understand the consequences of decisions (C. 5)

Supporting Research and Literature

Nelson (1980) Importance of techniques that assist elementary children become aware of the choices they make and the impact of the choice.

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Career Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 3

Students will explore careers and the connection of school to work.

Competency Indicators, K-2

  1. Identify careers in the community.
  2. Distinguish which work activities in the school environment are done by specific people.
  3. Describe what they like to do and why.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities

Recommended Career Activities

Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Explore careers in the community and in the lives of students (C. 1,3)
  • Identify the skills needed to perform school-related jobs (C. 2)
  • Explore the connection between self-interests and the world of work (C. 3)
  • Introduce community and family careers by inviting guest speakers to make interactive presentations (C. 1)
  • Provide opportunities for students to shadow school workers (C. 2)
  • Provide experiences that allow students to interview school workers regarding skills needed to perform their jobs (C. 2)
  • Administer interest surveys that assess student likes, dislikes, and interests (C. 3)

Supporting Research and Literature

Stein (1991) Introduction of elementary children to occupations in an interactive manner

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Career Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 4

Students will demonstrate a positive attitude toward work and the ability to work together.

Competency Indicators, K-2

  1. Define what work/job/career means.
  2. Define the importance of adults and children working.
  3. Describe the process of being a good worker.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities

Recommended Career Activities

Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Introduce and discuss the connection between work/job/career (C. 1)
  • Relate the importance of working through hands-on activities or career awareness activities (C. 2)
  • Provide opportunities for students to identify good work habits (C. 3)
  • Provide students with examples of work/job/career (C. 1)
  • Provide opportunities to work as team members in cooperative groups comprised of different individuals (C. 1,2,3)

 

Supporting Research and Literature

McGee and Silliman (1982) Encourages the usage of interest inventories to enhance awareness of differences and of one’s own characteristics during these years

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Career Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

STANDARD 5

Students will understand how community awareness relates to work.

Competency Indicators, K-2

  1. Describe responsibilities one has at home and school.
  2. Describe workers in their community.

(South Carolina Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model, October 1999)

Minimum Career Activities

Recommended Career Activities

Career Resources and Effective Exercises
  • Discuss and compare student responsibilities at home and school by relating them to the world of work (C. 1)
  • Compare and contrast student responsibilities at home and at school (C. 1)
  • Research careers that are visible in the students community (C. 2)
  • Invite career speakers/career fair to introduce students to careers in their community (C. 2)
  • Identify workers we count on (C. 1,2)
  • Describe how these workers count on us (C. 1,2)
  • Explore what happens when individuals fail to do their jobs (C. 1,2)
  • Relate job responsibilities to character education values taught (C. 1)
  • List class jobs
  • Identify the responsibilities of each class job (C. 1)
  • Interview family members about their responsibilities in the home and on the job (C. 1,2)
  • Community Business Partners

Supporting Research and Literature

Thompson and Parker (1971) need for elementary students to identify reasons for working and to identify a broader range of occupations than their immediate scope

Minimum Career Activities: all students at this grade level should be exposed to these activities prior to advancing to the next grade level.

Recommended Career Activities: these activities are recommended by the South Carolina Career Guidance Advisory Committee for schools seeking to achieve an ideal career guidance program.

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